Beat Intimidation with Creative Vision

Whenever you cotton onto the notion that people or problems diminish you, that self-critique begins to bury your brain’s tools for excellence. In contrast, your brain holds hidden reflection equipment to build visions that develop confidence and take risks to achieve mind-bending results. Yes, regardless of other’s impressions of your work plans or character. Have you ever wondered how some people envision greatness past human hurdles that shut down others at work?

It’s more natural than most people realize, I mean to reboot creative vision and slip past the spell of a cynic‘s complaints. Have you noticed that too? Most would agree that criticism works against human intelligence, and yet fewer people see how vision that draws on smart skills that transform problems into possibilities. A mental manifesto for vision expands creativity, in spite of any external circumstances you encounter. How does it happen?

Has vision crumbled where you work? If you’ve found yourself barely surviving criticism in broken systems, you’ve likely opened spigots to toxic brain chemicals common to the critic. In so doing, you also shut down creativity, which occupies very different areas of the brain. Are you beginning to see how creativity and intimidation both vie for your attention at times, or how the choice between these is always yours to make?

Interesting new research shows how your brain’s amygdala performs a primary role in both capturing and extending your emotional responses. Hard as it may be to believe, this small almond shaped group of neurons located deep in the temporal lobes of your brain, releases chemicals for victimization or creativity – depending on choices you make when problems strike.

Whenever you feel under heavy weights of a cortisol crank, for instance, you can simply reopen a flow of chemicals for well-being that help you to create solutions for the problem or person that created the toxic back-splash or triggered intimidation in the first place.

Here are a few creative suggestions from research footings to nudge your brain out of its pattern of slipping into ruts that shut down growth. Step from fear into freedom as you:

1. Communicate good tone regardless of feelings, and you’ll often find criticism fade and watch stress convert into growth. Stress may lead you to words or body language that show how you feel, but the cortisol that comes from stress also shrinks the brain new research shows. No wonder the stress that comes from intimidation also shrinks your ability to use good tone and enjoy the well-being you crave.

2. Laugh lots and the human brain creates new neuron pathways past negativity, cynicism, and pessimism that accompanies intimidation. Do you see how the brain uses laughter to generate courage? It’s also the enemy of whining or blaming others. Einstein must have discovered this reality, since he claimed to enjoy the unrealistic aspirations of an optimist. Does laughter spark new neurons in the direction of success for you?

3. Question assumptions that hold you back and lost you into intimidation just as bright lights can lock the deer’s gaze until an oncoming car strikes and kills. It could be you are seeing a jaded side of the issue, rather than looking through an escape question such as “What if?” open to move you ahead by unlocking your potential, and creating chemical fuels that motor you into direction of curiosity and answers. All, in spite of intimidation that holds unaware people back.

4. Build new neuron pathways for possibilities and your brain will energize and inspire creative approaches to solutions, past the problem that puts you down. Robert Kennedy noticed that most people build their best visions more from problems they solve to move forward, and less from opportunities that life hands to them. It’s much like George Bernard Shaw noted: Some people see things as they are and say, “Why? “I dream of things that never were and say, “Why not?” When intimidated, do you build neuron pathways to ask Why? and stay stuck there, or do you reflect on a freer way forward and ask, “Why not?”

5. Toss solutions at problems, and the human brain begins to rewire itself to improve the situation. Could you imagine focusing on your capabilities to solve problems, the next time you slip into intimidation’s nets? If so, what could you say or do to inspire others around you to move forward, rather that settle for fear and frustration that may have formed a pattern in your brain’s basal ganglia?

While you cannot change another person’s tone, try these tactics to help you move past negativity. Simply put your new brain chemicals to work in your favor, through a few words in response. Ask, for instance, Could you elaborate a bit more to help me understand? Or if you are helping others get past intimidation, you might ask, Added to your ideas, I wonder if …? It’s usually best to model the opposites of intimidation, rather than confront the workplace bully though. There are approaches that work in your favor when you try to understand through questions such as, In addition to that concept, have you thought of …?

Complete this survey to see if you’re locked in intimidation or are you free to visualize a new creation for today? If your vision treats others well, the answer is likely obvious. If not, it takes courage that comes when we begin to create a vision for freedom across differences, on the other side of intimidation.

YOUR TURN! Join our Brain Based Circles! Would love to meet you at any of the following!

Robyn, you build a good case for the way we tend to react – and what a timely example you posted as a reminder to use words of inclusion and not of intimidation. Yet, when we meet words that exclude or diminish, we get farther when we call on creativity – just as you did so well here:-) Thanks for stopping by.

When intimidated, the first reaction is to retreat from it and even feel like a victim. There’s so much hope spelled out here to get beyond it and become creative. Creativity is truly a path past intimidation.

In my recent blog, both Jean Browman and I felt intimidated by reading sexist language. She drew a picture and I wrote a blog showing how it is outdated and provided tips for more inclusive language. As I think of it, both of us dipped into creative expressions to take us to higher ground…